Colleen's thoughts on writing, directing and coaching, and her unique take on life itself!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Pro-lifers miss their biggest opportunity

You know, if pro-lifers were really pro-life?

They would be lobbying - working around the clock for nationally funded health care.

Here's why:

1) The US has a national, regional and local tax-funded police force. Our police are paid to protect us, help us in matters of threats and life and death without first asking who we are, what religion we claim, where we live, if we have a pre-existing life and death case for which they've been called to help us before (which would disqualify us for protection and justice), and most importantly -- if we have police insurance coverage.

More, when we want to support another nation or we need police support, we help one another.

2) The US has a national, regional and local nationally funded fire department. Our firefighters are paid, our volunteer departments equipped to protect us, help us in matters of threats and life and death without first asking who we are, what religion we claim, where we live, if we have a pre-existing fire problem for which they've been called to help us before (which would disqualify us for fire fighting protection), and most importantly -- if we have fire department insurance coverage.

More, when we want to support another nation or we need fire fighting support, we help one another.

Now, what should be #3 but it that doesn't exist:

(Imagine!) --The US has a national, regional and local nationally funded Health Care . Our Health Care workers are paid and equipped to protect us, to help us in matters of health threats and life and death issues without first asking who we are, what religion we claim, where we live, if we have pre-existing health issues for which they've been called to help us before (which would disqualify us for current health care), and most importantly -- if we have health care insurance coverage.

Historically, like way back when, women were the healers. They not only educated themselves to heal others, they passed their knowledge down from mother to daughter for generations and were highly esteemed in communities.

Because women "healers" had knowledge men did not, and men wanted to assume the power of healing, these women were accused not of healing people but of practicing "witchcraft" - and were not only shunned but killed for, according to their detractors, defying Christianity.

Over the centuries, men came to run the healing arts, with women assisting them; only relatively recently have women returned to the field of primary health caretaker when they were finally allowed to attend the male driven and run medical schools.

Along the way, it was decided that a new "US health care" system should be privately funded for the most part. Make profits, not healthy people! OK, that's hyperbole, but you know what I mean.

It would make this blog too long, but there actually is a fantastic, economically sound and good health reason for creating a nationally funded health care system.

It does not have to emulate what exists now, but can be a fresh, sensible, streamlined, effective and efficient health care system that will make the US the healthiest, most prosperous nation in the world thanks to a well-run nationally funded health care program.

Those who make so much money off the current health care system - insurance companies - do not want it changed. They do not care about patients, the nation's health care, the fact that if this system continues to degrade the health of the American citizen and health care system -- the country itself will suffer in ways that have already been predicted but ignored.

And once again, the horror of that outcome, which will deeply impact our nation so harshly, will come as a "surprise" to people who have been warned over and over again what these destructive, greedy actions will have on the nation, its citizens and the health care industry, but they choose to continue to ignore it.

At this point, that includes you.

It all boils down to this very basic question:

How much does the American government - and public - value its citizens? Enough to protect them against crime and fires -- but not enough to protect their health.

Something tells me those who claim to be "pro-life" will continue to confine their efforts to maintain a negative attitude, working against a legal procedure rather than think positively, working FOR something constructive that would actually end up making that legal procedure almost entirely unnecessary.